How funding cuts to National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Services are impacting Long Island museums, libraries
The Whaling Museum & Education Center's executive director said it will be "a challenging time for local and small cultural museums" because of the loss of funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Credit: Rick Kopstein
This story was reported by Daniel Bubbeo, Tiffany Cusaac-Smith and John Valenti. It was written by Cusaac-Smith.
Last week, The Whaling Museum & Education Center in Cold Spring Harbor received news that the federal government was cutting their funding.
They weren't alone.
The organization is just one of many libraries, museums and schools that have seen their funding dry up abruptly from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which has been targeted for dismantling, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Trump administration, going after what it says is waste and fraud, is seeking to mold and narrow the scope of what the federal government finances.
NEH was terminating The Whaling Museum & Education Center's grant to repurpose "its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda," read a letter dated April 2, sent to the museum and shared with Newsday.
But humanities advocates say such cuts mean a loss of cultural enrichment for Long Island that could jeopardize literacy, job training and economic opportunity.
"This is going to be a challenging time for local and small cultural museums as a result," Nomi Dayan, executive director of the Whaling Museum, said of the loss of NEH funding.
The museum was told that the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, was terminating $25,000 that would’ve been used to help expand its facilities. On top of that, the museum learned that a nearly $40,000 grant from another federal agency, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to support its programming had been frozen.
The National Endowment for the Humanities has given out more than $6 billion to aid museums, libraries, historical sites and others since 1965, according to its website. It also provides funding to humanities councils, which can award grants within their area, the NEH website said.
The NEH and the Institute of Museum and Library Services did not respond to a request for comment.
A National Endowment for the Humanities grant given to two professors at SUNY Old Westbury was canceled, according to university spokesman Michael Kinane. The grant, which was for $100,000, was set to go until June 30, 2026, to prototype "a virtual reality experience and an interactive web documentary depicting the cultural and ecological impact of humans on New York Harbor over 400 years," according to the NEH’s website.
The Federation of State Humanities Councils, which is made up of more than 55 humanities councils, said on its website that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency sought to slash staff and programs and revoke "grants that have already been awarded."
Humanities New York, the state’s humanities council, lost about $1.2 million — or about half its annual budget of $2.4 million.
Because of the cuts, the organization is "currently unable to offer any new grant opportunities" and had to "suspend current awards," said Sara Ogger, executive director of Humanities New York.
One of those organizations that had their grant suspended was Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc. on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.
Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc. said it was planning on using the $10,000 in funding toward an exhibit called "Resilient Roots," which features Shinnecock artists.
However, the organization says the abrupt closure means that it would not be able to pay artists taking part in the exhibition.
Jeremy Dennis, executive director of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc., said the funding losses seem "bleak" and come at a time when diversity, equity and inclusion are being targeted.
"So we at Ma’s House, we feel like we need to exist and have a clear mission. But at the same time, the mission feels like it's being prosecuted, and it seems like funding is even more needed, more than ever," Dennis said in a phone interview.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services served as the "primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums," awarding more than $266 million in grants and other funding in 2024, according to a recent agency news release and its website.
IMLS funding is used toward construction, mandated training for librarians and library trusts, internet access and resources for libraries and schools, summer reading programs and more.
On March 14, Trump signed an executive order seeking to eliminate the agency "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law." Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling was later sworn in as the agency’s acting director.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and attorneys general for 20 other states are challenging the dismantling of the agency and two others with a lawsuit.
"What the executive order is doing is sending a message that libraries don’t really matter, and it’s" happening at a time "when libraries have never mattered more," said Caroline Ashby, director of the Nassau Library System in Uniondale. "People turn to libraries to learn about job opportunities, housing, food assistance or just making use of shared community resources."
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is among the legislators who have sent letters to Sonderling to urge him to continue the agency’s mission in his new role.
"With every dollar cut, we not only diminish our collective access to knowledge, but also jeopardize the cultural, educational, and economic foundation that helps communities prosper," Gillibrand said in a statement sent via email to Newsday.
The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale is awaiting word about whether it will receive an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, or whether it will be frozen or canceled.
The grant, worth about $100,000, was for reimbursement of an LED lighting upgrade already completed in conjunction with PSEG Long Island, said Andrew Parton, the museum's president.
"That money should be coming to us, because the project is completed and the paperwork is in ... But we don’t know — and that’s part of the problem here," Parton said.
While Parton said the reimbursement status being in limbo is concerning, at least the project has been completed — and if the museum has to take that money from some other targeted improvement or project, at least that remains possible.
Since their funding was impacted, The Whaling Museum & Education Center has seen an outpouring of community support and there have been no staff freezes or terminations.
Dayan said these current issues are reminiscent of local museums needing to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and funding issues that resulted from shutdowns.
"We got through that and I’m always hopeful, so I think we can get through this," she said.
Last week, The Whaling Museum & Education Center in Cold Spring Harbor received news that the federal government was cutting their funding.
They weren't alone.
The organization is just one of many libraries, museums and schools that have seen their funding dry up abruptly from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which has been targeted for dismantling, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Trump administration, going after what it says is waste and fraud, is seeking to mold and narrow the scope of what the federal government finances.
NEH was terminating The Whaling Museum & Education Center's grant to repurpose "its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda," read a letter dated April 2, sent to the museum and shared with Newsday.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Many libraries, museums and schools have seen their funding dry up abruptly from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
- The Trump administration, targeting what it says is waste and fraud, is also seeking to mold and narrow the scope of what the federal government finances.
- Humanities advocates say the funding cuts mean a loss of cultural enrichment for Long Island that could jeopardize literacy, job training and economic opportunity.
But humanities advocates say such cuts mean a loss of cultural enrichment for Long Island that could jeopardize literacy, job training and economic opportunity.
"This is going to be a challenging time for local and small cultural museums as a result," Nomi Dayan, executive director of the Whaling Museum, said of the loss of NEH funding.
Funding frozen
The museum was told that the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, was terminating $25,000 that would’ve been used to help expand its facilities. On top of that, the museum learned that a nearly $40,000 grant from another federal agency, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to support its programming had been frozen.
The National Endowment for the Humanities has given out more than $6 billion to aid museums, libraries, historical sites and others since 1965, according to its website. It also provides funding to humanities councils, which can award grants within their area, the NEH website said.
The NEH and the Institute of Museum and Library Services did not respond to a request for comment.
A National Endowment for the Humanities grant given to two professors at SUNY Old Westbury was canceled, according to university spokesman Michael Kinane. The grant, which was for $100,000, was set to go until June 30, 2026, to prototype "a virtual reality experience and an interactive web documentary depicting the cultural and ecological impact of humans on New York Harbor over 400 years," according to the NEH’s website.
The Federation of State Humanities Councils, which is made up of more than 55 humanities councils, said on its website that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency sought to slash staff and programs and revoke "grants that have already been awarded."
Humanities New York, the state’s humanities council, lost about $1.2 million — or about half its annual budget of $2.4 million.
Because of the cuts, the organization is "currently unable to offer any new grant opportunities" and had to "suspend current awards," said Sara Ogger, executive director of Humanities New York.
One of those organizations that had their grant suspended was Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc. on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.
Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc. said it was planning on using the $10,000 in funding toward an exhibit called "Resilient Roots," which features Shinnecock artists.
However, the organization says the abrupt closure means that it would not be able to pay artists taking part in the exhibition.
Jeremy Dennis, executive director of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc., said the funding losses seem "bleak" and come at a time when diversity, equity and inclusion are being targeted.
"So we at Ma’s House, we feel like we need to exist and have a clear mission. But at the same time, the mission feels like it's being prosecuted, and it seems like funding is even more needed, more than ever," Dennis said in a phone interview.
Targeted for elimination
The Institute of Museum and Library Services served as the "primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums," awarding more than $266 million in grants and other funding in 2024, according to a recent agency news release and its website.
IMLS funding is used toward construction, mandated training for librarians and library trusts, internet access and resources for libraries and schools, summer reading programs and more.
On March 14, Trump signed an executive order seeking to eliminate the agency "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law." Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling was later sworn in as the agency’s acting director.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and attorneys general for 20 other states are challenging the dismantling of the agency and two others with a lawsuit.
"What the executive order is doing is sending a message that libraries don’t really matter, and it’s" happening at a time "when libraries have never mattered more," said Caroline Ashby, director of the Nassau Library System in Uniondale. "People turn to libraries to learn about job opportunities, housing, food assistance or just making use of shared community resources."
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is among the legislators who have sent letters to Sonderling to urge him to continue the agency’s mission in his new role.
"With every dollar cut, we not only diminish our collective access to knowledge, but also jeopardize the cultural, educational, and economic foundation that helps communities prosper," Gillibrand said in a statement sent via email to Newsday.
The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale is awaiting word about whether it will receive an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, or whether it will be frozen or canceled.
The grant, worth about $100,000, was for reimbursement of an LED lighting upgrade already completed in conjunction with PSEG Long Island, said Andrew Parton, the museum's president.
"That money should be coming to us, because the project is completed and the paperwork is in ... But we don’t know — and that’s part of the problem here," Parton said.
While Parton said the reimbursement status being in limbo is concerning, at least the project has been completed — and if the museum has to take that money from some other targeted improvement or project, at least that remains possible.
Since their funding was impacted, The Whaling Museum & Education Center has seen an outpouring of community support and there have been no staff freezes or terminations.
Dayan said these current issues are reminiscent of local museums needing to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and funding issues that resulted from shutdowns.
"We got through that and I’m always hopeful, so I think we can get through this," she said.
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